as in disputed
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1
as in pondered
to give serious and careful thought to
still debating what to do
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2
as in discussed
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
we debated the advantages versus the disadvantages of the proposed waterfront development
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Recent Examples of debated
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
As one of Cohen's most frequent guests on his late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, Rapaport has generated some of its most viral and debated moments, like a fiery 2018 spat between the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Jan. 2026
Dogs are believed to descend from ancient gray wolves, though the exact wolf populations that gave rise to them remain debated.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Seclusion and restraint The use of restraint and seclusion practices to address disabled students’ behavioral issues has increasingly become a debated issue among education specialists.
—IndyStar, 8 Sep. 2025
This secular trend is welcome, but its causes remain debated.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Perhaps the most debated entry in Clooney’s filmography, this adaptation of the Stanisław Lem sci-fi novel — which had previously been turned into a meditative 1972 Andrei Tarkovsky drama — has its champions and its passionate haters.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
At one point, the organization debated whether or not to convert him to outfield full-time, but eventually settled on keeping him at third.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Seattle’s Legion of Boom defense allowed the fewest points in the league each season from 2012 to 2015 and was being debated among the best ever.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
The council debated where the money would come from.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Long debated and awaited, terms of an agreement signed by coalition government partners were finally outlined yesterday.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
Results were debated within both the FDA and the CDC and presented publicly at the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee at the FDA and at the CDC’s ACIP.
—Robert M. Califf, STAT, 6 Feb. 2026
And the court has decided only one of the other eight cases debated in November, all of which are less consequential than the tariffs dispute.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Responsibility is still debated after harm has occurred.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
That balance of a decades-old history and a new brand’s need to establish itself in its own right shapes the leadership challenge facing Strazik, who joined GE in 2000 when it was still led by Jack Welch, one of the defining — and most debated — business leaders of the 20th century.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
As one of Cohen's most frequent guests on his late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, Rapaport has generated some of its most viral and debated moments, like a fiery 2018 spat between the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Jan. 2026
Dogs are believed to descend from ancient gray wolves, though the exact wolf populations that gave rise to them remain debated.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Seclusion and restraint The use of restraint and seclusion practices to address disabled students’ behavioral issues has increasingly become a debated issue among education specialists.
—IndyStar, 8 Sep. 2025
This secular trend is welcome, but its causes remain debated.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Perhaps the most debated entry in Clooney’s filmography, this adaptation of the Stanisław Lem sci-fi novel — which had previously been turned into a meditative 1972 Andrei Tarkovsky drama — has its champions and its passionate haters.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Verb
Whether this movement toward harder jumps is the right direction for skating’s future is fiercely debated, both among the figure skating community and fans.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
At one point, the organization debated whether or not to convert him to outfield full-time, but eventually settled on keeping him at third.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Seattle’s Legion of Boom defense allowed the fewest points in the league each season from 2012 to 2015 and was being debated among the best ever.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
The council debated where the money would come from.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Long debated and awaited, terms of an agreement signed by coalition government partners were finally outlined yesterday.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
Results were debated within both the FDA and the CDC and presented publicly at the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee at the FDA and at the CDC’s ACIP.
—Robert M. Califf, STAT, 6 Feb. 2026
And the court has decided only one of the other eight cases debated in November, all of which are less consequential than the tariffs dispute.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Responsibility is still debated after harm has occurred.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debated
Adjective
-
City Council documents said the disputed portion of the property falls completely outside Willow Park’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Diplomatic relations stagnate, Greenland is quietly regarded as a disputed zone, and foreign investment stalls as uncertainty rises.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Royals pondered whether to non-tender India this offseason.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Bailey started to consider a return to college basketball in 2025 but has pondered a possible return to the NCAA after he was drafted in 2023, according to the report.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Neither Iran nor Oman offered any details on what had been discussed in Larijani's meetings.—
JON GAMBRELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Bauer proposed another amendment based on a moment that occurred when the bill was being discussed in the House Judiciary committee.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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For instance, one very controversial current issue is whether women can keep their original names, the names they’re born with, after getting married.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Another theory posited that the 64 was a reference to the initial government death toll for 2017's Hurricane Maria, a controversial claim that was eventually corrected to 1,427.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Santos-Griswold contemplated quitting the sport.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2026
-
After the Jets released Rodgers last March, the quarterback contemplated his future before signing a one-year contract with Pittsburgh in June.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Critics argued that the hotel industry was already faced with the minimum wage changes and low demand, and increasing taxes by any amount could send tourists to competing hotels in nearby cities.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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In a 2014 editorial, the Times argued the federal ban on the drug should be repealed, and the decision should be left up to the individual states.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Health Secretary Wes Streeting is widely considered a front-runner to become the next prime minister.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Every possible explanation that isn’t ruled out or contradicted by the already-existing data should be considered, and each hypothesis should be tested and examined as rigorously as possible.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In recent years, Russia has studied China’s infamous Great Firewall, a sophisticated system of controlling and surveilling its citizens’ internet use, and bought technology from the country, Segal said.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The dusty ejecta, however, can be best studied in young systems like this.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debated. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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